Windowpane heater



Dec, 2, 1924.

R. GERTLER ET AL WINDOWPANEl HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec'. 15, -1922 jen" F `Jes/71117 l0:

` Dec' 2 1924. R.y GERTLER ET AL.

i wINnowPANE VHEATER is projected without causing Patented Dec. 2, 192.4.-

UNITED STATES' lP ROBERT GERTLER AND BENJAM THIRD T0 IN FINE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNons or oNn- CHARLES C. HANSON, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINQIS.'

WINDOWPAN E HEATER.

To all fwltom z't may concer/n.:

Be it known that we,

and BENJAMIN FINE, both United States, cago, in the county ROBERT GERTLER citizens of the and both residing at Chiof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a and we do hereby declare be a full, clear, and exact description of Windowpane Heater;

the following to the invention, such .as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

, Our invention relates to heaters and in its general objects includes the providing of a simple and inexpensive air heater which will eifectively project the heated air laterally and which can be positioned close to a surface at-the side towards which the air damage through the direct radiation of heat from the heater itself.'

More particularly,

towards a window removin same. ith this object in cluding a heating element ily be connected to an ordinary electric light our invention relates to means for projecting a current of hot air pane for the purpose of frost and dampness from the view, our invenwhich can readsocket;v and aims to provide means for causing air to pass close to the heatin heated by t e latter, and for afterwards detlecting the heated air so as to 4be edectively element and accelerating the velocity of the current of air so as to cause the airapplianoe in a to issue from the heated stream which will travel for a considerable distance in the desired direction.4 Furthermore, we aim to provide our appliance with heat-insulating means which will prevent a damaging of the window pane or sash by the direct radiation of heat from the appliance in casetlie latter is brought too close to the glass of the window. Owing to the licity high advertising and ypubvalue .of show-windows, it is important that these should be kept clear even in quite cold weather, since any coating of frost, or even of the unfrozen mist, resulting from the deposit of moisture on the window will obscure the view of the goods which yare on display.,

show-windows, y ed to continuous heating,

To avoid such an interference with the proper function of the these are sometimes subjecteither by special appliance embodying our Fig. 2 is an enlarged central and trans-v 4spectively attached. v.The

radiators or lby means of gas jets, but the arrangements required for this purpose not only are continuously in the4 way of the normal use of the show-window space but also consume an' undesirable amount o f energy. 'On the other hand, the use of electhe window and because the resulting blast.

is a t to disturb the arrangement of the goo s which are on display..

As a substitute for all three of the above mentioned arrangements and for the costly special window pane heatersy which have heretofore been proposed as'stationary window attachments, our invention provides a portable appliance which can readily be moved from one show-window to another, and one which can readily be slid or lifted from one to another of a number of different positions in any large showwindow so that a single such appliance can be used successively for removing the frost and mist from the entire surface of a large number of show-windows. Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heating invention.

verse vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken `longitudinally of the'same appliance along the v line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is `a perspective view of the heating element of the appliance and of the support for the same, showing these parts as they appear when removed from the casing of the appliance.

Fig. 5 is a erspective view of another embodiment o our invention, namely 'one havin upwardly Haring ends and having a di erent guard arrangement from that of Fig. 1..

In the drawings, the electric heating unit of our appliance is shown as comprising a high resistance wire 1 wound spirally on a bar 2 of insulating material and having its ends secured respectively to binding posts 3 and 4 to which the wires 5 and 6 of a flexible cord connected to an electric circuit are reinsulating bar 2 is supported by a couple of Ui-shaped clips Twider than the thickness of the heatin fastened to the top of an inverted metal trough 8 which has a slot 9 extending longitudinally under the heating element. This inverted trough 8 flares downwardly so that it fits slidably within the metal casing which forms the air distributin chamber of our appliance. This casing is ere shown as having a main portion comprising a sheet of metal bent to afford a vertical and flat front l0, a Hat bottom 11 and a back 12. The bottom 11 is perforated, desirably by providing two rows of perforations 18 with each row at some distance from the vertical medial plane of the heating'element while the back 12 is curved forwardly so that its upper edge overhangs the top of the front and is spaced by a relatively short distance from this top. To hold this curved back in a fixed position7 we desirably provide the front face 10 of the casing with a number of upwardly projected fingers 14 which are brazed or otherwise secured to the upper and forwardly directed edge of the bach 12 after the manner shown in Figs. l and 2.

The bottom 11 or' the casing desirably reste on a sheet 15 of a suitable insulating material, such as an asbestos board, and this board has feet 1,6 secured to it for supporting the casing in a slightly raised position. Each end of 'the metal casing is closed by an cud piecel slidably inserted into the metal casing and desirably made also of an insulating material, such as asbestos board. To hold these ends in rigid position, we are here showing them as abutting a ainst the `ends or the insulating bar 2 of the eating unit and as being clamped against these ends by a rod 18 which extends longitudinally through the casing and which has knobs 19 of insuating material threaded upon its ends to clamp the' casin ends 17 against the tips of the insulatlng bar 2.

With the appliance thus constructed, it will be obvious from Fig. 2 that when current is passed through the high resistance wire 1 of the heating element, the resulting heat will heat the air Awithin the casing and the warming of the air will cause the same to rise. Also,`t hat the forward curvature of the upper portion ofthe back 12 of the casing `will cause the rising air to be deflected so as to issue in an ap roximately horizontal direct-ion through t e slotsat the top of the casing. At the same time, the suction due to the air current will cause a fresh supply ofair to be drawn in through the perforations 13 in the bas-e of the casing, which perforations are opposite corresponding perforations in the heat-insulating board 15 under the bottom `l1, While the sloping sides of the trough-like support will deflect the entering cool: air toward the slot9 'so as to facilitate4 the movement of the air towards the heating element. By ,making this slot 9 only slightly g element, we can cause the fresh supply o air to move clo to the hot wire and hence can secure an effective heating of the air during its movement through the casing. Furthermore, while the heating of the air will expand the same, the relatively small total size of the outlet slots adjacent to the top of the Casin will cause the volume of air to be contracted prior to its emission from the casingthereby accelerating the movement of the air after the general manner of va fluid nozzle. Consequently, the emitted hot air is not only delected in a substantially 'horizontal (or slightly upward) direction, but also is projected with av suilicient velocity to predetermine its general direction of movement for a considerable distance.

In vew of this accelerated movement and predetermined directing of the'air, our heating appliance as above described will be effective even if placed at some distance from' the window pane which is to receive the current of hot` air. However, inexperienced users ,might be tempted to place such an appliance so close to a window pane that the direct radiation of heat from the forward wall 10 of the casing-which becomes quite warm when the heater is in use would overheat the adjacent portion of the windowpane, and in cold weather the undue heating ci such a relatively small portion of a win- ,dow-pane might crack the latter. So also, if the heated metal front 10 of the casng were slid up against the Wooden sash at the bottom of the window, the heat conducted through this metal front might damage the paint on the sash. To avoid such occurrences, we desirably rovide heat-insulating means associated w.t the forward face of `our appliance. For this purpose, we have found it practical to employ a shield 20 made of insulating board and extending parallel to the front 10 of tlie casing, but spaced from this front b insulating bushings 31 surrounding the bolts 21 which secure the shield 2O to the casino'. With such a heat-insulating shield, it will be obvious from Fig. 2 that the appliance be slid into'direct contact with the ass ane of the window, and that Iif this sioul occurboth the insulation of the board 20 and the air space intervening between this board and the front 10 of the casing will afford eiiective heat insulations so as to prevent an undue warming andconsequent cracking of the window-pane.

By using a wire lfof a resistance adapted for an ordinary lighting circuit, our appliance can readily be connected to any'convenient electric light socket,while the flexibility of the' usual wire cord willV also permit a given appliance to be moved from one point to another long'tudinally of alarge show window for use in removing the frost mi ht even y llU or mist from the same. The connections of the cord to the electric liglht circuit are not illustrated, being well un erstood by all familiar with electric heating a pliances.4

Moreover, the knobs 19 as emp oyed for clamping the ends of the casing in .position also serve as convenient handlesfor lifting or otherwise moving our appliance.

However, while we have heretofore illustrated and described our appliance in a de.- sirable embodimentJ including a particular form of heating unit and includ'zng certain means for providing heat-insulation associated with the front and for fastening the ends of the casing, we do not wish to be lmitcd to these or other details of the construction and arrangement. here disclosed. Obviously, various changes might be made without departing either from the spirit of our invention or from the appended claims.

For example, Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of another embodiment .in whlch the casing is flared at both ends at 30 so as to elongate the outlet opening 31 and in which the front of he casing 1s made of an insulating board 32 and is provided with for wardly projecting knobs 33 to prevent a direct contact between this front and a window-pane. Furthermore, we do not wish to be limited to the use of our invention for employment in connection with show-windows, as the same obviously might be used also as an air heater for more general pur- .poses and particularly in anyV cases where it. may be desirable to project the heated air in a predetermined direction.

lV e claim as our invention l l. An air heating appliance comprising a casing having a substantially horizontal and relatively narrow and elevated outlet at one side, a heating unit disposed within the casing below the outlet, the casing having inlets disposed lower than the heating unit, and a heat insulating facing disposed at the said side of the casing and spaced from the casing proper. j

2. An air heating appliance comprising a casing having air outlets adjacent to its top and air inlets at its bottom and having a portion formed for directing rising air outwardly through the said outlets; a heating element disposed within the` casi-ng, and' a support for the heating element; the said support being formed for causing the air entering through the said inlets to pass `close to the heating element, the heatng element and support being bodily removable `as a unit from the casing.

3. An air heating appliance comprising a casing having air outlets adjacent to its top and air inlets at its bottom and'having a portion formed for directing rising air outwardly through the said outlets, a heating element disposed within the casing, and a support for the heating element; the said support 'formed for causing the air entering throughithe said inlets to pass close to the heatlng element, the said support comprising a lsheet extending from end to end of the casing and bent into a substantially inverted U- haped transverse section and having a slot in its top adjacent to the heating element.

4. A. portable windowpane heater comprising a casing equipped at its bottom for the entrance of air and having a substantially vertical front wall provided with an elevated air outlet, a beater mounted within the casing, and means extending forwardly from the. said front Wall for preventing a direct contactof the casing with a windoi pane faced by the said wall.

5. A-window pane heater as'per claim 4, in'which'- the said means include a heat insulating member adapted to contact with the window pane.

6. A window pane heater as per claim 4, in which the said means comprise a sheet of heat insulating material and elements for spaling the said sheet forwardly of the said wa 7. A portable window pane heater comprising a casing, a heating device within the casing, the casing havin l an air inlet below the heating device an a lateral air outlet disposed above the heating device at one side of the casing, and means projecting from the casing at the same side thereof, to maintain the casing spaced from a member of heat-insulating material adapted to contact with a window pane adjacent to the said side of the casing and to provide an air space between the said casing side and the window pane. f

8. In a heater, a casing having a bottom with air inlets therein and having an outlet adjacent its top, a member of substantially inverted U-shape having Van air outlet in its top, said member being disposed within the casing so as to enclose and overlie the air inlets, an electrical heating element and means to secure the element to the top of the U-shaped member at a point substantially alined with the air outlet thereof.

9. In a heater, a casing having a bottom provided with air inlets, ends, and a front and back, the front being provided with an outlet-adjacent its top, an inverted substantially U-shaped member in the casing overlying and enclosing the air inlets and havingan air outlet in its top, an electrical heating element, means to secure the element to the top of the U-shaped member at points substantially alined with the airoutlet thereof, said element having its ends abutting the respective casing ends, and means to simultaneously clamp the casing ends to vand against the ends of the heating element.

10. In a pane heater, a portable casing from thespane, the top of the casing being curved forwardly'to direct 'heated air egressing from. the outlet across the space between the .pane an dthe casingfront and to also direct air flowing upwardlybetween the pane and casing front into the path of said heated air.

11.A In a heater, a casing having an outlet in its top and air'inlets in its bottom,

' an air collector in the casing overlying and,

inclosing the air inlets and having an outlet in its top, an electrical heating element,

` Micasa and means to connect said element to the collector, at points vertically alined with and adjacent to the collector outlet.

12. In a heater, a casing having ends, a bottom formed with an air inlet, a back and a front formed with an air' outlet, an air i collector in the casing seated on the casing bottom and engaged Vwith the front and back of the casing and having an outlet in its top, an electrical heating element vertically alined with the collector outlet, means to secure the element to the collector, and meansl to clamp the casing ends to and against the respective ends of one of the last named parts. A Signed at Chicago, Illinois, December 12th, 1922.

' ROBERT GERTLER.-

BENJAMIN FINE. 

